Chapter 556: The Night Assault on the Borderlands

The earth shook, but the sniper rifle had to stay steady.

Xia Qing lay flat atop the high slope, then rose to steady her sniper rifle, working with the other snipers defending the territory and coordinating with Territory Seven’s laser cannon to hunt down the evolved birds swooping toward the territory, and the ever-threatening evolved bats carrying explosives.

Flashes from explosions kept lighting up in the southern part of the territory. The Inspection Team laid down heavy fire to intercept ground animals drawn in by the lights. With the trampling of beasts and roaring artillery, the ground trembled nonstop.

Large, loose stones on the hillside started rolling down. Moisture in the chilly air condensed as icy crystals on the branches. All around Xia Qing, Er Gou, the sick wolf, growled low and uneasy.

If they turned off the high-powered floodlights, they’d lose track of and fail to shoot the evolved bats carrying explosives. But if they left them on, the beast horde would keep surging toward Section One in the north.

Tonight’s commander, Tan Junjie, stood with his Inspection Team between the beast horde and the territory, radioing for backup: “Xia Qing, Hu Zifeng, the southern quarantine strip is under heavy pressure. Applying to requisition grenade launchers from Section Three.”

Right then, Section Three’s grenade launchers were still with Hu Ningsheng, out of Xia Qing’s earshot. But Yue Haiying, who had authority over weapon use, replied coolly, “Copy that. Hu Ningsheng, take the grenade launchers and head to reinforce the southern quarantine strip now.”

“Copy.” Hu Ningsheng acknowledged the order.

Three minutes left until the spotlights went out. Two minutes. One minute. Thirty seconds…

“Boom—”

An intense explosion lit up Hill Fifty, and one by one, dozens of floodlights scattered across Territories 1 to 26 blinked out. The northern Section One fell into darkness once again.

This time, the darkness actually brought everyone a sigh of relief.

A beam of light sliced through the sky, nailing a raptor that dove toward the territory from above. Its burning feathers burst like fireworks over the territory.

That was the laser cannon from Territory Seven. Usually, its beam was invisible, but the smoke and dust blasted up by the explosion on Hill Fifty caught the laser, making it visible tonight.

Xia Qing dropped a raptor from the sky, and together with those ‘fireworks’, it fell toward the ground.

Through the radio, with her ringing ears finally fading, Xia Qing caught an outside voice: “The group controlling the evolved bats, hiding at First Peak of Hill Fifty, has been neutralized.”

Xin Yu pulled it off. Flawless work!

That group used a newly developed stealth coating. How did Xin Yu’s surveillance bird spot them? Was it the sense of smell? Or ultrasonic waves?

“Copy.” Amid the noise of gunfire and explosions, Tan Junjie asked Territory Seven, “Is anyone garrisoned at Hill Fifty?”

After taking medicine and pesticide, Xia Qing’s hearing was slowly returning. She heard Tan Junjie’s question and answered clearly, “Near the danger zone at Third Peak, Hill Fifty, there are evolved animals. The entire hill is unguarded and classified as off-limits to humans.”

Anyone found in the forbidden zone has trespassed!

“Copy.” Tan Junjie issued the order: “Xin Yu, scan Hill Fifty with the surveillance bird. If you detect any human activity, eliminate it at once.”

“Understood.” Xin Yu replied.

“Boom—”

Another explosion shook the east side of the territory. A voice crackled over the Inspection Team’s channel: “Captain Tan, we have a speed class intruder armed with homemade pistols and grenades storming in from Mountain 51. Six from our team are down. The intruder’s entered Territory Eighteen!”

Tan Junjie responded, calm and severe: “Copy. Fifth Squad, pull back immediately. Take out the intruder. Medical team, get to the eastern quarantine strip and tend to the wounded.”

On the Alliance channel, Yue Haiying issued a cool order: “The intruder’s entered Territory Eighteen and will soon be at Territory Fifteen. All units, defend your posts.”

In the Lords’ channel, Wen Nengjie from Territory Seventeen was sobbing for help: “An intruder just broke through the eastern quarantine and is about to enter my territory. Xia Qing, please help us, I’m begging—”

Xia Qing didn’t have her lord communicator on her and couldn’t have heard Wen Nengjie’s call for help anyway. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have come to aid a territory outside the Lords’ Alliance.

Tang Huai replied on the Lords’ channel: “Xia Qing’s injured—she can’t hear a thing.”

“Huai-ge, please, save me,” Wen Nengjie begged, shifting his pleas.

Tang Huai snapped, “Are you deaf or blind? Can’t you see it’s chaos on my end? You want me to save you? I’m looking for help myself! Captain Tan—people from Territory Two stormed into Territory Twelve and started wrecking the place. Zhou Xun, you just wait and see!”

Not a peep from Territory Two.

After finding no help, Wen Nengjie in Territory Seventeen put down his walkie-talkie and issued a cool, decisive order: “Abandon both the greenhouse and the hot house. Everyone withdraw to the basement now.”

“Boom—”

A fireball lit up the southern end of Territory Fifteen. Judging by the flames, it had to be a landmine going off.

Sure enough, Yue Haiying came on the alliance channel: “Three speed evolvers just vaulted over the southern thorn wall in Territory Fifteen. Two got blown up by mines, one was shot dead. There’s an intruder running toward Territory Ten—stay alert and hold your positions.”

Unlike the Inspection Team, whose main duty was to intercept and destroy intruders, the Alliance members’ top priority was personal safety. Defense and hunting came second.

“Copy.” Shi Du from Territory Ten responded.

Not long after Shi Du confirmed, Xia Qing saw another landmine blast—this one near the southern end of Territory Ten’s eastern thorn wall.

Shi Du called out in a low voice, “The intruder who broke into Territory Ten stepped on a mine. Status unknown.”

Beautifully done!

Xia Qing admired Yue Haiying’s battle experience. Scattering just a few mines across thousands of acres, he’d still managed to kill off intruders.

But, seeing the way the intruders broke from Territory Eighteen straight through the southern thorn wall of Territory Fifteen and then through the eastern thorn wall of Territory Ten—all heading northwest—it was clear the next stop was… Section Three!

Murderous intent flickered in Xia Qing’s eyes.

Yue Haiying added, “Copy. Xia Qing, Hu Zifeng, the intruders are making for Section Three.”

“Copy.” Xia Qing ordered coolly, “Liangzi, cover the west wall. I’ll take care of the east and south walls, and the southern thorn wall by Section Four. Captain Hu, the skies are yours. The rest, stick to your assigned areas and keep guard.”

Right after giving orders, Xia Qing spotted a streak zip through her night vision goggles—one intruder charging from Territory Ten to Territory Nine, moving so fast that even in the dark he left a glowing trail.

A high-level speed evolver! Fire Phoenix was really pulling out all the stops just to kill her.

Too bad they hadn’t spent even more—these intruders weren’t all wearing invisibility-gear protective suits.

“Er, watch this.”

Xia Qing soothed the growling Er Gou, then tracked and predicted the intruder’s route. Just as the speed evolver soared up to vault the iron mesh wall at the southwest corner of Section Three, she squeezed the trigger. The bullet punched cleanly through his neck.

Speed evolvers all wore flexible body armor to maximize their abilities. That gear could offer some protection for the neck, but nothing could stop a sniper round this powerful.

You had to be dead-on to take them out with a single shot.

Xia Qing nailed it.

“Section Three: one high-level speed evolver neutralized.”